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About South Dakota

Located in Vermillion, South Dakota.

Founded in 1862.

South Dakota has an enrollment of 10,284.

The Coyotes finished 2012-13 with an 19-16 record and a 10-6 mark in the Summit League.

South Dakota returns six letterwinners from last season, including three starters (Harrington, Loeffler & Seekamp).

The Coyotes were picked to finish third in the Summit League, with 224 votes. South Dakota was picked just ahead of Fort Wayne and just behind IUPUI.

Creighton vs. South Dakota:Creighton leads the all-time series with South Dakota, 11-8. The Bluejays took the 2012 meeting, 53-49 in Vermillion, S.D. on Nov. 20, 2012. South Dakota, however, won the last meeting in Omaha, 56-53 in overtime on Nov. 22, 2011.

Last Time vs. South Dakota (11-20-12): W, 53-49 @ South DakotaCreighton did not trail in the win as Sarah Nelson got going from the opening possession. The Bluejays found the Omaha native on the left block, allowing her to fake right and draw a shooting foul to her left. Nelson hit 1-of-2 from the line, then connected on a five-footer off the glass on the following possession to make it 3-0. Following a South Dakota bucket, Nelson added two more free throws and Carli Tritz drilled a 12-footer to push the lead to 7-2.

Holding a 12-7 edge at the 12-minute mark, the Jays used an 8-0 run to grab their largest lead of the game 13 points at 20-7 with 8:01 left in the half. Ally Jensen connected for her 154th career three to ignite the run, then Alyssa Kamphaus added a bank shot from the right and Marissa Janning capped it with her first three-pointer as a Jay.

Playing their home opener, the Coyotes rallied to pull within two points at 23-21 with just under four minutes remaining in the opening period. Creighton weathered the South Dakota run, closing the half with an 8-2 burst of its own to take a 31-23 into the half.

Both teams came out hot in the second period, trading buckets on the first six possessions. Nelson pushed the Jays’ lead back to nine at 42-33 on a layup with 13:39 to go. South Dakota mounted a second surge over the ensuing three minutes to make it a one possession game at 42-39 with 9:09 remaining. The Coyotes, however, missed a chance to pull even as Nicole Seekamp’s trey bounced off the front of the iron with 8:06 on the clock.

Creighton took advantage of the miscue with a traditional three-point play from Nelson to extend its lead to six, then Tritz cut to the basket for a driving layup to make it 47-39. The Jays wound down the final five minutes without a significant threat from the Coyotes.

Creighton was tenacious defensively for the second straight contest as the Jays forced South Dakota into 25 turnovers.

South Dakota Head CoachAmy Williams (Nebraska, 1998)

Overall record of 21-20.

Second season at South Dakota, 21-20 (.512) as a Coyota.

A South Dakota native, Williams returned to her home state to lead the Coyotes to a 19-16 record in her first season.

Before coming to USD, Williams was an assistant coach for several years at the Division I level, including serving as the top assistant/recruiting coordinator at Oklahoma State from 2001-05, and holding the same position at Tulsa from 2005-07.

Scouting the Coyotes (2-4)

After opening the season with a 66-57 win at Cal State Fullerton, South Dakota dropped its next four games at UC Irvine (68-64), at Iowa State (88-72), at North Dakota (65-61) and a neutral contest with Drake (89-81 in ot).

The Coyotes got back on the winning track on Sunday, Nov. 24 as South Dakota played its first home game, a 74-61 win over Boise State.

Junior guard Nicole Seekamp led the way for the Coyotes with 26 points on 10-of-19 from the field. She has topped 20 points in three of the Coyotes six games and also leads South Dakota on the season with 99 points (16.5 ppg).

Junior college transfer Raeshel Contreras is another threat for the Coyotes, scoring 17 against Drake and averaging 12.8 points per game.

The three-point shot has been a strength for the Coyotes in the early going. South Dakota is shooting just under 35 % from long range (.349; 37-of-106).

South Dakota has struggled with turnovers throughout the 2013-14 season, committing a combined 117 in six games (19.5 per contest). Last season the Bluejays forced the Coyotes into 25 turnovers.

Keys to the Game w/South Dakota:

Control the Paint: Nelson had 23 points in the meeting last season and the Bluejays are deeper in the post than they have ever been. After getting just four points in the paint in its loss to North Dakota, South Dakota has gotten a combined 62 in its last two games.

Rebound: This will always be a key statistic for the Bluejays, but South Dakota is averaging 41.8 rebounds to Creighton’s 30.8.

Make Seekamp a Passer: In Creighton’s win at South Dakota last season, the Bluejays held Seekamp to eight points, two assists and three turnovers. She has 17 assists and 19 turnovers already this year.

367 and Growing

Creighton has won 14 straight home games, dating back to a 58-48 loss to Kansas on Nov. 25, 2012 - a span of 367 days.

The longest home winning streak in school history spanned 44 games. The streak began Feb. 4, 1984 with a 67-53 win over Loras and extended to Dec. 4, 1987, when the Bluejays fell to Missouri, 93-82. That total was 1,400 days.

Have You Met BriannaFreshman Brianna Rollerson had a bit of a coming out party in Creighton’s 65-55 win over Houston on Nov. 23. The redshirt freshman reached double-figures in just her fifth game as a Bluejay with 10 points. She also notched career-highs in rebounds (7), FG (5), FGA (7) and minutes played (14).